


Special Nicknames

by mcschnuggles



Series: The Regression Zone [2]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, CGRE - Caregiver/Age Regressor, Caregiver!Merle, Fluff, Gen, Regressing!Taako, caregiver!magnus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-19 14:41:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22512526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcschnuggles/pseuds/mcschnuggles
Summary: Taako calls Magnus "Maggie" when he's small. No big deal. He's heard lots of people call him Maggie before. His nickname for Merle? An entirely different story.For Regressuary 2020.
Relationships: Magnus Burnsides & Merle Highchurch & Taako
Series: The Regression Zone [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1551574
Comments: 14
Kudos: 113
Collections: Regressuary, Regressuary 2020





	Special Nicknames

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Regressuary! I'm so excited to start this month off!
> 
> You can check my work list/progress below!  
> https://mcschnuggles.tumblr.com/post/190504488990/wip-list-progress

Quiet nights are hard to come by.

But when they come, Magnus can’t imagine anything better. Sure, the life-threatening adventures and general shenanigans are fun, but it’s the low-key quality time with Merle and Taako that he treasures most.

They’re sitting on their living room floor in a small circle, playing cards spread out between them. Taako is sprawled out on a mess of pillows and blankets, with Chester nestled somewhere in the chaos. The first thing he did after coming back from dinner was change into his PJs, an idea that was so good Magnus and Merle immediately followed suit.

Merle smugly presents his cards. “Three-of-a-kind!”

Taako lays down his cards with flair, levitating them in front of him and slowly turning them so Merle can see. “Full house.”

“I always hated that show.” He reluctantly pushes their winnings, a pile of candy that’s really just there for Taako’s sake, in the kid’s direction, and reaches for the whiskey.

Magnus won’t pretend to know where Taako got this, nor will he pretend he cares. Because when Taako produced the bottle on their way back from dinner, batted his eyelashes, and proposed a game night, how was he supposed to say no?

It’s mostly been him and Merle drinking, but Taako’s been glancing at it more and more as the evening wears on. Magnus hasn’t said a thing, but when he sees Taako flex his left hand, he knows he has to act.

Magnus snatches the bottle out of his reach before he has a chance. “No drinking. You’re too young.”

“Okay, _Mom_.” Taako snaps, but he doesn’t pursue a drink any further. Either that, or he’s scheming. It’s either/or.

Merle laughs, swiping a toffee when Taako isn’t looking. “Sweet Pan, you would make the ugliest mother.”

Magnus has had enough whiskey that he’s laughing right along with him. “Look who’s talking! Can you imagine Taako walking up to the front of a grocery store? ‘Excuse me, ma’am, could you ring my mom?’ And then _you_ waddle up? I think that’s grounds for them to call CPS! They’d think you kidnapped him!”

“If I’m the ugly mom, you’re the dad who has to look up dance trends on Fantasy Google.”

Magnus scoffs. “You _wish_ you were the ugly mom. You’re more like that weird uncle that sneaks the kids whiskey when they have a toothache.”

Merle barks out a laugh. “You’re like that obnoxious dad that shows you ten-minute-long videos of his kids at office parties.”

Magnus laughs so hard he snorts. “You’re like that weird grandpa that falls asleep at the dinner table and wakes up only to rant about politics.”

“Wait, wait!” Merle struggles to get the words out between fits of laughter. “Am I an uncle or a grandpa? What’s the dynamic here?”

“Well, Taako is the baby. Obviously.” Magnus decides.

Taako folds his arms. “I am _not_ a baby.”

“Taako is our very handsome teenager.” Merle amends, which seems to placate him. He’s been teetering between eleven and twelve since dinner, which are both ages where he very much likes to be told how grown-up he is.

“But which one of us is the mom and which is the dad?”

Magnus and Merle immediately snap their gazes to Taako.

Taako stands up fully adult. “Yeah, I’m not doing this. Not tonight.”

“Wait, Taako! We were just kidding around!” Magnus is aware he’s yelling, but it’s hard to be heard over Merle’s uproarious laughter.

His words, however, fall on deaf ears, and Taako escapes into his room without even a goodnight.

Merle’s howls of laughter die down into gasps for breath. “Good going there. Real nice job.”

“You helped.” Magnus grumbles. He takes a sullen swig of whiskey and gathers up the cards.

He’ll apologize in the morning, when grown-up Taako can kick his ass and confirm that all is forgiven.

However, when Taako pokes his head out of his room at around noon, it’s not the grown-up version they’re expecting.

Magnus and Merle share a glance. He can’t be older than nine right now.

Merle breaks the ice, as a sort of apology for last night. “Hey, buddy.”

Taako turns. He has a sucker in his mouth, garbling his words slightly. “Hi.” He doesn’t seem particularly hostile, so Magnus can only guess he’s over last night’s shenanigans.

Without another word, he makes a beeline for the kitchen. There’s a distinct rustling that follows, one that can only come from getting into the cookies, but if Taako suspects he’s doing anything wrong, he isn’t trying to hide it. He emerges a moment later, swapping out his sucker for a cookie, and sits in the space between Magnus and Merle on the couch.

That’s another good sign, if he’s not avoiding them.

Magnus decides to go out on a limb. “Taako, did you know there’s a monster on the loose in here?” he asks.

Taako looks up from his cookie. His eyes are still a little heavy, meaning he just woke up and went straight for the sweets. Magnus can’t help but fret about if he went to bed hungry last night. “What?”

“Yup.” Magnus pauses, waiting until he’s eaten his cookie so there’s no possibility of him choking, which is a lesson he’s learned the hard way. “A vicious hugbear!” Magnus roars and, before Taako can dodge, scoops him up into a giant hug.

“Maggie!” Taako scolds, but he’s grinning as he wraps both arms around Magnus’s neck and cuddles in close.

Magnus continues his best bear impression, twirling with Taako in little circles before finally plopping back down on the couch.

Since Taako is still giggling and refuses to get off of Magnus’s lap, he considers his little stunt a success.

“Sorry we scared you off last night.”

Taako’s cheeks puff in indignance. “I wasn’t _scared_. You were just being weird.”

“Then sorry we weirded you out.”

“We’re just a little curious how you think of us, bud.” Merle adds. Magnus shoots him a half-hearted glare for only stepping in after he did all the leg work.

“Why does it even matter?” Taako asks with a roll of his eyes. “You’re my Maggie and my Em.”

Magnus’s heart swells. “Aww!” He gently knocks his forehead against Taako’s. “That’s so cute!”

“Wait, what about me?” Merle asks.

Taako goes red, all the way up to the tips of his ears, and since he’s already eaten his cookie, pops his sucker back into his mouth so he doesn’t have to speak.

“Merle, I think _you’re_ Em.”

“Yeah, I need to go do a thing.” Taako says, once again completely adult. He casts Blink, vanishing right out of Magnus’s arms.

“I’m gonna put together a care package to leave by the door.” Magnus decides once he hears footsteps coming from Taako’s room. And, just because he can’t resist petty revenge, he adds, “Good going, by the way.”

“Oh, you can kiss my Kenny Chesney tattoo.”

* * *

The next time teeny Taako appears, it’s under less than ideal circumstances.

Since it’s just the three of them in the dorm, they don’t keep their individual rooms locked—even on his worst days, Taako’s door stays unlocked. After all, they can’t quite predict when one of them might need to regress.

Despite what he claims, Magnus isn’t a light sleeper, so he doesn’t hear the pounding footsteps approaching his door, nor does he hear the panicked gasps for air that accompanies them. No, what wakes him up is the force a full-grown adult plowing into him.

For a split second, Magnus thinks he’s being attacked. His first instinct is to fight back, go for the throat, to diffuse the situation until he gets his bearings, but those instincts quiet in mere seconds. After all, he’s home. He’s _safe_. What could possibly be attacking him?

He grabs the mystery person by the shoulders, giving himself enough time for his eyes to adjust to the dark. The person then sobs, so it’s no surprise when Taako’s ruddy, tear-stained face comes into focus.

“Taako?”

Taako’s hands fumble blindly, first at Magnus’s hands in a desperate bid to get free, and then again at Magnus’s collar.

“Where’s the stab wound _where’s the stab wound?_ ” Taako sloppily pulls at the neck of his t-shirt, almost choking him in the process.

Stab wound? What in the world is he talking about? He couldn’t be talking about what happened in the Cave of Infinite Horrors, could he? Then again, that’s one of the times he saw Taako at his most afraid. It makes sense that his nightmares would take him back to that place.

“It’s okay.” Magnus says. “It’s all better, see?” He gently pries away Taako’s hands, just so they can both see he’s fine.

The fight drains out of Taako, slowly but surely. With every raspy breath, his shoulders fall a little farther. As his breathing evens out, his eyes flood with tears.

“Don’t go, Maggie.” Taako begs.

Magnus is taken aback. He sounds so _small_. How old is he right now? Six? Five? …Four?

“I won’t,” he promises. He wraps his arms tight around Taako, pinning him against his chest. He feels Taako’s fingers dig painfully into his shoulder blades, but he says nothing about it. “You’re okay. We’re all safe.”

Taako tucks himself more firmly against Magnus’s body, like getting closer to the words can make them more real.

“I’m right here.” Magnus whispers. He readjusts his hold, hiking Taako up so he rests a little more comfortably over Magnus’s shoulders. “It’s okay.”

He’s not sure how long they stay like that. Taako’s heartbeat thuds loud and clear against his shoulder and his sobs don’t show any sign of stopping, but his grip gradually loosens. Magnus does his best to talk in a low, soothing voice and rub Taako’s back. Honestly, he wishes he could do more, but he’s doing the most he can.

“Emmy too?” Taako’s voice sounds so tiny, high-pitched and muffled by Magnus’s shoulder.

“You wanna go see Emmy?”

Taako nods into the crook of his neck.

“Okay, we’ll go see Emmy.” Magnus sits up the rest of the way, rubs the sleep out of his eyes, and takes Taako into his arms. Taako doesn’t let go of his neck, not even once.

He knocks once on Merle’s door, solely to give Merle some bit of warning before he has a hysterical kiddo in his lap, and pushes his way inside.

Unsurprisingly, the knock didn’t wake Merle up, not at all. He’s still snoring away, completely unaware of the two other people in the room. Not that that’s ever stopped Taako.

“Emmy!” Taako sobs. He doesn’t even wait for Magnus to put him down, just squirms his way out of Magnus’s arms. Magnus makes sure he’s right over the bed, so there’s no chance of Taako accidentally hurting himself, before relinquishing his grip.

Taako pounces on the mattress, the force of which starts Merle awake. “ _Whazzat?_ ”

Taako crawls over, tugging at Merle’s collar the same way he tugged at Magnus’s. “Emmy okay?”

To give Merle credit, his recovery time is impeccable. He detaches one of Taako’s hands, taking it in his own, and smiles softly. “Yeah, yeah, Emmy’s fine, sport.” Only after he’s rubbing Taako’s back does he look up to Magnus, his gaze equal parts confused and terrified.

“Sorry to wake you up.” Magnus says. “But he was a little…frantic.” He hopes that explains it, because he’d rather not have to re-explain everything now, when the panic is so fresh, when the tears haven’t even dried from Taako’s cheeks.

“No harm done. I can always make time for my little buddy.” He settles back against the pillows, resting Taako’s head against his shoulder. “Must’ve been a scary dream, huh?”

Taako nods, a few more pitiful tears dripping down his cheeks. “Maggie got stabbed ’gain.”

Merle clucks his tongue in sympathy, wiping at Taako’s face with the pad of his thumb. “That’s no good. We gotta tell Maggie he’s grounded from getting stabbed.”

Taako offers a weak, whimpery laugh. “Can’t ground Maggie.”

“We can’t? Oh, you’re right. He’d just go and get himself stabbed anyway. He’s not a very good listener.”

Taako sniffles, stretching out one of his hands in Magnus’s direction.

“Aw, you know I can’t resist the grabby hands.” With more force than necessary, just to get a little laugh out of Taako, he flops onto the bed.

Taako latches onto him immediately, hooking his arm through Magnus’s and popping his thumb in his mouth. Much to Magnus’s relief, he’s finally settling down. This only confirms to Magnus that cuddles are the magic cure-all.

“See?” he asks in a hushed voice. Taako’s eyes are already slipping shut. “I knew you were ‘Em’!”

“ _My_ Em.” Taako corrects. He squirms once more, getting completely comfortable before he’s out like a light.

Magnus grins and runs his free hand through Taako’s hair. “Exactly.”

Quiet nights are hard to come by.

But Magnus wouldn’t trade them for the world.

**Author's Note:**

> mcschnuggles.tumblr.com


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